Monday, November 14, 2016

Portrait Sketch of a Young Woman - oil pastel portrait drawing

This was not the model, but a participant in the drawing group. Sometimes the other people there make for some of the best drawings! She was listening intently to her drawing neighbor, so I had a few minutes for the sketch. It's on 12 x 9" Strathmore 403 paper, which, despite their claims, is no longer a paper for oil pastel. I have a lot of it, though, so I'm using it.
It seems I've been spending SO much time preparing panels for painting! I thought this would be a money-saver, but I don't think so, plus the time involved is crazy! I hear a lot of artists talk about applying gesso, etc, on panels and I thought it would be such a good idea. First there's the stuff that blocks support induced color changes, two coats, and then the gesso - three or so coats. Any thoughts out there on this? I'll probably just go back to buying panels that are already prepared for painting. Oh my poor arm! Thanks for stopping by!

About Me

I have always loved to draw the face and figure. If I'm not actually drawing from the posed model or sketching people going about their everyday lives, I'm probably thinking about it. I seldom miss an opportunity to draw or paint from life and strive every day to capture not just a likeness of my subjects, but also the more elusive qualities of spirit, mood and emotion.

Hackberry Street Studio

In Memory of

HAPPENINGS

My drawing, "Ballerina", received an Honorable Mention at the Reflections in Pastel show at the Arkansas Pastel Society in Little Rock!

My drawing, "Easy Listening" will be included in the F&W publication, Strokes of Genius, 10 - The Best of Drawing! I'm beyond thrilled!

Every morning before really starting my day, I have been drawing something - such as the clouds or what's happening across the street or my Able Assistant, Roger. Often, it's an ink sketch, so there's no correcting and no going back. Sketchbooks seem to be the rage right now and I welcome rethinking my practice of only using sketches as preparation for something"bigger". It's fun to allow sketches to be finished art, too!